


One Night To Speed Up Truth

by FollowingButterflies



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Road Trips, road trip au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 22:41:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1875153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FollowingButterflies/pseuds/FollowingButterflies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Dean, a tattoo artist, picks up a blue eyed hitch hiker during his drive to Brooklyn and there is less driving and more tattoos and naked swimming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Night To Speed Up Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my [tumblr](http://casfallen.tumblr.com). This ficlet was born purely because the lovely [Caitlin](http://stormstiel.tumblr.com/) went on a road trip and we wanted road trip aus. Plus I have a soft spot of Dean and Cas having tattoos.

The early morning Californian sun glinted off the lenses of a pair of vintage Wayfarers as Dean Winchester shifted his beloved Impala into gear. Interstate 101 lay ahead of him along with the promise of an adventure.

Leaving California, the place he'd made his home for the past five years, was going to take some time to get used to but this new job was going to change Dean's life. For the past three years he'd been working at a small but very popular tattoo studio in Palo Alto. When he and his fellow artist and friend Benny Lafitte finally saved up enough money to open their own store in Brooklyn, Dean had packed up all his worldly possessions to move clear across the country.

Dean had found an apartment not far from the new store and all of the furniture he wasn’t leaving in California had been shipped to Brooklyn several days beforehand. He’d said goodbye to the friends he’d made in California as well as his younger brother and now the only thing left to do was to drive out to Brooklyn for this new job.

He had been traveling down the interstate for a few miles before he saw him. The guy was sat against the railing, his head bent low so he seemed deep in thought. Most people would have just thought the guy was some drifter, not worth their time or they would simply carry on driving. However Dean was different.

He had spent enough time in his youth hitching rides to recognise someone in need of a ride. The guy looked around the same age as Dean and seemed normal enough in a deep maroon hoodie and worn jeans. As Dean drove up to the side of the road he noticed a backpack slung over the guy’s shoulder.

Dean rolled the driver’s window down and called out “Hey man, you need a ride somewhere?” The guy’s head shot up and whipped around until his eyes fell onto Dean’s car. Dean couldn’t help but notice that even with the forlorn look and generally sense of scruffiness the guy was attractive; sharp jawline with a strong profile and bright eyes that were half hidden by dirty looking hair.  

“Who me?” the guy asked as he pushed his body up off the railing, his voice low and slightly gravelly.

“You see anyone else standing on the side of the road hoping for a ride?” Dean quipped with an easy grin. “Where are you heading to?” Dean asked as the guy’s face broke out into a smile full of gratitude.

“I just need to get to the nearest town with a bus or train station, I’m heading to New York City.” The guy said as he shuffled from one foot to the other.

“You’re heading to New York?” Dean asked and even though he didn’t even know this guy, fuck he didn’t even know his name, he knew that a road trip to Brooklyn on his own wouldn’t be as fun as a trip with someone else. Plus the only way he and Benny had been able to go out to California all those years ago was by hitch hiking their way there. “I’m headed on my way there, well Brooklyn actually…if you want you can come with me. I mean…I can drive you to New York.”

“All the way to New York, are you sure about that? You don’t even know me after all.” The guy said but Dean waved him off.

“Seriously, you need a ride to New York and I could do with some company over the next couple of days.” Dean said by way of explanation. “So you want a ride or not?” Dean then asked and once again the guy’s face broke out into a smile as he hurried towards the Impala and slid into the passenger’s side.

“Thank you for this, it’s nice to know that there are still good people out there.” The guy said. “My name is Castiel Edlund by the way.”

“I’m Dean. Dean Winchester” Dean replied feeling as though he’d heard the name Edlund before but he couldn’t remember where from.

“After James or Moriarty?” Castiel asked.

“My grandmother actually.” Dean said with a snort. “Most guys would take that as a hit but the woman was a badass.” He added. “I’m guessing ‘Castiel’ wasn’t the name of a beloved grandmother.”

“No my father named me after an angel, the angel of Thursday. He’s a writer you see.” Castiel said, his cheeks going red. “Apparently naming his son after an angel was some big homage to his love for religious literature.”

“Wait…Edlund…your father isn’t Carver Edlund is he?” Dean asked finally figuring out where he’d heard the name Edlund before. Sam had grown up loving Edlund’s books and had even got Dean to read a few. Angel’s had featured heavily in several of Edlund’s books so Dean could understand why Carver had named his son after one.

“Yes, that’s my father.” Castiel said. “I can’t tell you anything about the final book though, it’s top secret.” He added with a quick grin.

By the time Dean was driving out of Nevada he’d learnt that Castiel had grown up all over the country thanks to his father’s job. He’d moved from state to state until he turned eighteen and moved away to a liberal arts college in Claremont, California. He had been living in California since then.

“What did you study?” Dean asked intrigued. Honestly there was something incredibly intriguing about Castiel and Dean found himself wanting to know more about the guy.

“A major in Classics with a minor in Russian and Eastern European Studies.” Castiel said. “Thanks to my father I grew up loving classical literature and mother’s family was originally from Russia.” Castiel explained.

“Really? Shit that sounds cool.” Dean said.

“Yes I suppose they were fascinating. It gave me the chance to study abroad in Athens during my final year and I got to travel in East Europe during the summer after freshman year.” Castiel explained and Dean couldn’t stop himself from launching into a round of questions. He soon found out that Castiel was fluent in Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, Russian, and French. He was also currently learning Swedish ‘because he felt like it’. Dean had to admit he was impressed and a little intimidated. Sure he was well versed in Japanese and Latin due to the amount of tattoos he did but Dean still wished he knew more languages.

"What about you? Did you go to school in California?” Castiel asked.

“Me? Nah.” Dean said with a snort that sounded more bitter than he intended it to. He coughed and started again. “I grew up in Kansas, got my GED then worked to help pay for my brother to go to school. He graduated from Stanford Law a few years ago and we’ve been renting a place in Palo Alto since then.” Dean said.

“Stanford Law? That’s impressive.” Castiel said raising his eyebrows in surprise. “So he wants to become a lawyer?”

“Yeah, he’s been working his ass off in this high profile firm for the past six months. It’s nice knowing all the debt we’ve got into paying for school was worth it now that he’s making coffee for assholes in overpriced suits.” Dean said with a snort.

“And you?” Castiel asked. “What do you do?”

“I worked in this small tattoo shop in Palo Alto up until a few days ago. Now I’m the proud co-owner of a store in Brooklyn. My friend Benny and I have been saving up for the past few years and we’ve finally saved up enough to get our own shop.” Dean couldn’t fight the pride in his voice when he talked about the store.

“You’re a tattoo artist?” Castiel questioned and Dean nodded. “I should have known really.” Castiel added nodding towards the two full sleeve tattoos that had taken Benny six months to complete. Dean had designed both of them, intricate tableaus. “Was it something you always wanted to do?”

“Yeah I guess…I was always into tattoos then I met my best friend Benny back in Kansas. I mean I knew Benny back in high school. He was a senior when I was a freshmen but we happened to loiter around the art block at the same time so we got to know each other. When he started working in this tattoo shop in the city I started hanging out there too, I got really into it and when I got my GED Benny fixed me an apprenticeship there.” Dean explained. “When Sammy got into Stanford Benny and I got jobs out in Palo Alto at this up and coming shop that’s slowly got more popular over the past few years.”

“And now you’re moving to New York?”

“Yeah. Benny and I have been saving up for our own store for a while now. Now we’ve brought a store in Brooklyn. It’s going to be weird being so far from my brother but this is something I’ve wanted for years.” Dean said.

“No one can begrudge you for that.” Castiel said looking over at Dean with a smile. Dean found it impossible not to smile back. Maybe picking up Castiel was going to be one of Dean's better ideas in life.

* 

They found a small, cheap motel after entering Utah and stayed there for the evening. Dean didn’t even realise until after he’d done it that he’d just gotten a twin room instead of two single rooms. He’d grown so used to travelling with Sam or Benny when he was younger that he didn’t even think about getting a second room until he and Castiel were walking towards the room. Castiel seemed to think nothing of it so Dean brushed it off, too tired to really freak out properly. Instead he collapsed onto the bed and drifted off into a deep sleep.

After breakfast they stopped off at a convenience store to get vital supplies. By vital supplies both men meant beef jerky, chips, soda and Twizzlers. Once they'd spent more money on food than probably necessary they set off again and talk soon turned to travel. Castiel had been all over the country thanks to his father’s book tours but he lamented the fact that he’d rarely been able to see highlights of the country. In turn Dean told him about the trip he’d taken with Benny when he’d gotten his GED. The pair had driven from Kansas down to Louisiana, where Benny had lived until he was a teenager, so Benny could visit family. Dean talked animatedly about seeing the cowboy museum in Oklahoma city and the nights out in the French Quarter of Louisiana. It had been one of the best trips he’d been on when growing up but, like Castiel, he lamented over not doing more on the trip.

“It’s funny, when I was younger I always planned on going across the country. I even wrote out a list when I was about sixteen.” Dean said. “Fuck knows where it is but I can still remember some of the stuff I put on there.” He added with a small chuckle.

“So what would you generally have on this list?” Castiel questioned with an inquisitive smile. Under normal circumstances Dean would have assumed this was flirting but maybe that was just Castiel’s personality. “Biggest ball of twine? World’s largest pancake or something less cliché?” Castiel added, his smile turning mocking.

“Oh now  _come on_!The world’s largest pancake would be kickass even if you view it as cliché.” Dean said with a grin. “What would you view as less than cliché?” 

“Oh I never said I wasn’t one for the clichés.” Castiel quipped. “I for one view late night skinny dipping as a must for any road trip.” He added so nonchalantly that Dean coughed in surprise. While Dean tried to recover Castiel chuckled loudly. Dean coughed several times hoping that he hadn’t turned red by Castiel’s comment.

“Late night skinny dipping? Really, that’s a must?” Dean asked once he’d recovered. He glanced over to the passenger seat where Castiel was still grinning. The asshole. Well two could play at that game. “Ok then dude, late night skinny dipping it is. Though if we pass a huge pancake then you better believe we’re stopping.” Dean said smirking at Castiel’s surprised look. Dean nodded over towards the glove box. “There’s a road map of the states in there, see if you can find a lake.”

“There are things called smartphones nowadays, they have maps on them.” Castiel said pulling his phone out his pocket and waving it at Dean. Dean couldn’t help but scoff loudly.  

"It ain't a proper road trip if you're not cursing the map you fucked up reading." He said as he reached onto the dashboard to grab a piece of beef jerky.

“Yes, but that’s exactly why I now rely on electronic maps.” Castiel retorted.

“Where’s your sense of adventure man?” Dean asked.

“I’d like to remind you that I was the one who said that skipping dipping was an important part of any road trip.” Castiel said with smug justification.

“Touché” was the only reply Dean could think of.  

There was a lake only a few hours away but after stopping several times for food or to take necessary road trip photos the sun had long since gone down. Dean pulled up in the nearest clearing and peered out his window at the lakeside. He glanced over towards Castiel ready to ask if he really wanted to do this but the smile Dean received was enough to him that this was something both of them wanted to do even if it confused the hell outta Dean.

 _Well_  Dean thought  _here goes nothing_. He killed the engine to the Impala and slowly climbed out the car, Castiel not far behind him. Moonlight reflected off the lake and Dean swore that he could hear honest to God crickets in the distance. Of all the things he thought he’d be doing on this road trip he never thought that skinny dipping in the moonlight would be one of them.  

Dean shuck his shirt off and gently peeled away the t-shirt underneath. If the lake hadn’t been so silent Dean would have missed it but as he peeled away his shirt he heard a hitching breath behind him. Slowly turning around he saw Cas stood there, his eyes transfixed on the tattoos adorning Dean’s body; his eyes roaming over the intricate sleeves, the protection symbol on his chest, the phrase  _ad altiora tendo_  at the side of his rib and so many more tattoos that all held personal sentiments.

The temptation to make a quipping remark was lost on Dean’s lips when his eyes met Castiel’s. Maybe that sense of comradeship he’d felt since offering Castiel a ride to New York had been something more. Over the past few days their conversation had flowed more easily than conversations Dean had with some of his closest friends. Still he barely knew Castiel and to act on whatever thrumming sensation was running through his body would be stupid and reckless.  

Castiel pulled off his own shirt and it would have taken a lot for Dean to pull his eyes away from Castiel’s but delicate script along Castiel’s pectoral did just that. The words  _Astra inclinant, sed non obligant_  were inked against the tanned skin. Dean’s brain searched through his limited Latin and slowly smiled when the translation came to him.

“The stars incline us, they do not bind us?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow and even in the moonlight he could see the flush creeping across Castiel’s chest.

“It’s about creating your own destiny, the world might have its plan for us but it’s up to us to make our own reality.” Castiel explained. “I strive towards higher things?” Castiel asked nodding towards Dean’s own inking across his ribs.

“You know…positive outlook and all.” Dean tried to sound blasé but this was one of his more personal tattoos. It meant a lot to him.

“Dean I told you a lot over the past few days, the least you be is honest. I was after all.” Castiel said arching his eyebrow as he slowly made his way over towards Dean. Dean was tempted to move but Castiel reached out and ran his fingers across Dean’s rib, directly over the words that had quickly become Dean’s motto over the years. The feather light touch made Dean’s breath hitch as Castiel looked up at him through his lashes.

“I…I grew up without a lot of money…my mom died when I was younger and my dad wasn’t around a lot. It was just me and my brother really and I tried my hardest to raise him…I never felt like I was good at anything until I started working with Benny.” Dean said with shaking breath. “I strive towards higher things because I want to give myself and my brother the life we deserved when growing up.”

“I think you are, you’re moving to do something you’ve always dreamed of doing.” Castiel said as his eyes roamed Dean’s sleeve tattoos. It was when his hand moved to place a gentle finger on Dean’s arm that Dean saw the sign of more inking along Castiel’s shoulder blades.

“You have more tattoos?” Dean asked. Castiel nodded but didn’t elaborate. Dean arched an eyebrow but Castiel merely gave him a wicked looking grin.

“Race you to the water.” He said sounding so playful that it stopped Dean for a moment and it was in the moment that Castiel gained the upper hand as he went sprinting towards the water. Dean could see the black ink across Castiel’s shoulders but in the pale moonlight, and how quickly Castiel was running, he couldn’t make it out. Instead of thinking too much Dean let out a bark of laugher as he ran after Castiel. Both men shuck the rest of their clothing as they neared the edge of the lake, Castiel getting there first and running into enthusiastically into the water. Dean wasn’t far behind but as soon as he hit the water he wished he was anywhere else.

“Jesus fuck this water is fucking cold!” Dean cried out. Castiel laughed out though from his shaking breath Dean could tell he was feeling the cold as well. “This was your insane plan man, you shouldn’t be laughing.” Dean retorted as he pushed through the water, slowly ending up with the water up to his shoulders. Castiel swam towards him, his smile still wide on his face, and stopped just a foot away from him. As Castiel treaded water and looked around the lake Dean moved so he was able to see the ink that adorned Castiel’s shoulders. Complex and realistic feathered wings spread across Castiel’s shoulder blades and his back. It must have taken hours upon hours and several sessions to complete but Dean had to marvel at the incredible piece of art that ornamented Castiel’s skin. He swam closer and while Castiel was busy staring at the moon rippling across the water Dean reached out and ran his fingers across Castiel’s left shoulder. Castiel jolted and quickly turned, his eyes full of questions. “Your tattoo is beautiful.” Dean let out before really thinking about what he was saying.

Castiel stared back at him, his eyes still wide. Dean was tempted to say something,  _anything_  really, but Castiel closed the distance between completely bringing Dean’s thoughts to a crashing halt.  

Castiel’s lips collided against Dean’s as they gripped one another in the water. Dean hadn’t even realised that his fingers were now digging into Castiel’s shoulders. Castiel’s hand were in Dean’s hair, gripping onto him for dear life as he pressed his tongue against Dean’s mouth. Dean opened up allowing Castiel in and he was completely lost. It didn’t matter that he barely knew this man, it didn’t matter that they’d only met a few days prior or that both of them were freezing in some random in the middle of the night. None of that mattered because Dean had felt completely at ease with Castiel ever since leaving California. He’d opened up a stranger and told him all about his life, not caring about judgment at all. The kiss deepened until Dean could barely breathe until he realised that he could barely breathe because  _fuck_  the lake was cold. With a gasp Dean pused Castiel away and tried to regain his breath.  

“Shit…did I do something wrong?” Castiel asked, his face full of worry.

“Nah man, you did nothing wrong.” Dean said quickly. “It’s just that I’m gonna freeze my balls off if I stay in this water any longer.” He admitted and his chest tightened with happiness when Castiel burst out laughing. Both men dragged each other through the water, made difficult by stopping to kiss or laugh, until they were back on the bank of the lake. The travelled back to the Impala in silence but neither men even noticed it. Once back at the car Dean crowded against Castiel and captured his lips in his own. He didn’t care that he was naked and freezing, being naked meant he wouldn’t have to worry about taking his clothes off and he was certainly going to warm soon.

With only a small amount of fumbling Dean opened the door to the backseat and pulled Castiel down inside. True both of them were too tall for it to really work but Dean was past caring. Laughter escaped their lips before Dean pulled Castiel back into a deep, wet kiss. Castiel was sprawled across the backseat offering Dean a full view of his lean frame once he’d pulled away from the kiss.

“Are you…is this ok?” Dean asked praying that Castiel nodded because if they had to stop then Dean was sure his brain was going to give out.

“God yes.” Castiel said gripping onto Dean’s arms and bringing him back down into his space. Dean’s hands roamed over Castiel’s body; along his arms, his chest and his smaller tattoo and he savoured every inch. Dean savoured the taste of Castiel’s skin as he kissed along the man’s neck and down to his collarbone. He savoured the small gasping noises Castiel made at every touch. The lack of clothing magnified every movement between and when Dean took control, slotting their cocks together as their movements became more erratic.

As Dean rutted against Castiel, growing almost painfully hard as he did so, he tried to remember where the fuck the pack of condom he’d packed where. This was made incredible difficult by the noises Castiel was making as they were seriously making it hard to concentrate. Finally Dean remembered that he’d shoved them into the smallest pocket of his backpack, the one he’d thrown under his seat before leaving California. Without disrupting the fast and, quite frankly, dirty rhythm he and Castiel had Dean grabbed the backpack and rooted around until he found the essential lube and pack of condoms. When Castiel saw the bottle of lube he smirked.

“Cherry flavour, really?” He asked and Dean couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“It was a joke present from the guys at work.” He said hating Benny and the others for just a moment. “At least it’s better than the ones that smell like hand sanitizer.”

“Your pillow talk needs work Dean.” Castiel said between snorts of laugher. Dean dug his fingers into Castiel’s side and was triumphant when he discovered that Castiel’s was ticklish. With a chuckle Dean quickened the rutting between them before capturing Castiel’s lips in another wet kiss. As the kiss deepened Dean added a liberal amount of lube to his fingers.

“You ok?” he asked Castiel as he pulled away. Castiel nodded, his breath shaky and with more tenderness than he thought he was capable of Dean slowly opened him up. Clearly Castiel was over tenderness as he pushed back against Dean’s finger as if he was in need of more. That almost sent over the edge there and then. Dean added more fingers until he had Castiel gasping and arching his back, his breathing heavy. With his free hand Dean rolled the condom onto his painfully hard erection and lined himself up as he removed his fingers from Castiel. For a moment their eyes met, Castiel’s normally bright blue all but blown with lust, and Dean had to stop to take a deep breath. Castiel nodded his head, answering the question of ‘ _ready?_ ’ before Dean even had a chance to ask it.     

Dean finally buried himself deep inside as he kissed Castiel deeply. Castiel was tight, god he was tight and Dean was convinced that this was going to be over before they even started but after a moment he regained control as he breathed in deeply.

“Dean…Dean I need you to move,  _please_.” Castiel gasped, his voice becoming even deeper if that was possible. Dean met his eyes again and that was all it took, he began a steady rhythm that quickly became more intermittent as lust pooled in his stomach. The steady rhythm he tried to keep was completely shot when Castiel started moving his own hips to create an even more erratic pace.  

Heat pooled in Dean’s stomach until he could barely stand it and from the completely ragged breaths coming from Castiel, who seemed at a loss for words, he was also incredibly close. Dean’s pace quickened even more so until no sound could be heard but frantic breathing coming from both men.

“Dean…Dean I’m going to…” Castiel gasped, his hips stuttering with each word. 

“I know…I know…I’ve got you.” Dean babbled, not even sure what he was saying as he kept driving into Castiel. Castiel buried his face into Dean’s neck and with a muffled cry he came, come his and Dean’s bellies. Not even a few moments later Dean came himself with a hoarse cry. He tried to steady himself as his breathing returned and he gently pulled out of Castiel. He disposed of the condom, tying it in a knot and throwing it out the open back window, not caring that it was kinda gross, and settled down on the backseat with Castiel. He pulled a shirt from his back pack, one that he really didn’t if it got dirty, and give it to Castiel so he could clean himself up. Once Castiel was cleaned he gave Dean a content and almost dazed smile as Dean moved even closer.

“Not freezing your balls off anymore?” Castiel asked between loud yawns. It was getting late and they had been driving all day after all so Dean couldn’t begrudge him that at all.

“Hell no.” Dean replied with a smile. "I gotta know man, how come you were hitching a ride trying to get to New York?" Dean asked as Castiel rested his head lazily against Dean's chest. It was the one thing they hadn’t talked about while travelling and now Dean was curious as how Castiel had come into his life.

"I lost contact with my father when I was at school, I needed my space, but recently I've grown to miss him. He's permanently in New York now, the lower West Side I understand, so I've decided that it is time to reconnect with him." Castiel said sleepily. "I didn't factor in the cost of flying there so the train or bus was the best way to go."

"Oh better than this?" Dean asked jokingly. 

"No, nothing is better than this." Castiel said and Dean wasn't sure if Castiel meant it to sound so profound but it sent a pang through Dean's chest. “When…when we’re in New York do you think that we could see each other again?” Castiel asked now sounding more nervous than he had seconds before. The fact that Castiel could be nervous about asking such a thing was insane but Dean could see where he was coming from, this could just be a one-time thing that never became anything. They wold go and live their lives and occasionally think about the few days in which they met each other and drove from California to New York. Dean really didn’t want that though. This road trip was a story he’d created and Castiel was an important part of that story. If possible he wanted to create more stories with Castiel in them.

“Yeah…we’ve definitely going to see each other again.” Dean said. When he’d left California he’d never expected something like this to happen, he never even thought about it being on the cards for him but like someone who’d grown important to him over the past few days said;

_Astra inclinant, sed non obligant_

The stars incline us, they do not bind us.

The world might have its plan for us but it’s up to us to make our own reality.


End file.
